Epic Antarctica 2009

• Rates Include

• 1 night accommodation with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. (The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel.)
• Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage. (Please inform us of any dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. Unfortunately, the ships’ galleys cannot prepare kosher meals.).
• All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program.
• Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities.
• Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled.
• Photographic Album on DVD.
• A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore landings
• Hair dryer in every cabin.
• A Quark Expeditions parka
• Coffee, tea, cocoa and bottled water available around the clock.
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials, including a map and an informative Antarctic Reader.
• Group transfers from the hotel to the ship at the embarkation port, and from the ship to the local airport on disembarkation – plus all baggage handling aboard ship.
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
•  Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all passengers to a maximum of $100,000 per person.
•  All helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing according to each day’s program.

Day-By-Day Itinerary.

Day   1

Santiago, Chile

During this 31-day voyage we plan to visit the Phantom Coast, the only passenger expedition to explore that seldom-visited Antarctic coastline in 2009-2010. For two centuries, the ice-locked coastline defied the efforts of explorers to chart it. Exploring the Phantom Coast is still a challege for all but the toughest vessels. Overnight in Santiago.

Day   2

Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

After a flight from Santiago, you will board the icebreaker.

Day   3-8

South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula

Seabirds accompany the ship across the Drake Passage to the first landfall in Antarctica. We plan to visit penguin rookeries and to cruise among ice floes where seals lounge in the Antarctic summer sun.

Pushing southward, we cross the Antarctic Circle, to enter a world of continuous daylight. We’ll explore bays ringed by glaciers, where penguins and seals co-exist in relative harmony. From Marguerite Bay, we’ll enter the Bellingshausen Sea.

Day   9-16

The Phantom Coast and Amundsen Sea

As we follow the Phantom Coast, we expect to visit Peter 1 Island. In 2006, the last time we landed successfully, our historian noted that only 800 people in all human history have been known to visit the island. Look forward to several adventurous days of breaking through the Amundsen Sea pack ice. We’ll deploy our helicopters so you can witness the power of the icebreaker from the air.

Day   17-24

The Ross Sea

Be on the alert for Emperor Penguins. The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of the largest species of penguins. Ross Island is home to the U.S. research base McMurdo Station and to Scott Base, New Zealand’s research station. Nearby is Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Hut (1901-04). Our planned visit is carefully controlled to ensure that the impact of our exploration is negligible.

At Cape Royd, we’ll visit other huts associated with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. You’ll tour the huts after an onboard presentation by our historian.

Day   25-30

Southern Ocean, Campbell and Enderby Islands

Heading north, we pause to visit Campbell Island, a nature preserve where Royal Albatross nest. You’ll follow boardwalks through lush greenery to observation points, from which you may photograph wildlife. Yellow-eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and New Zealand sea lions share Enderby Island with Red-crowned Parakeets.

Day   17-18

Ross Ice Shelf

Excitement builds as you approach the immense Ross Ice Shelf. If conditions permit, we plan to land out helicopters atop the floating ice barrier. Be on the alert for adult Emperor Penguins. The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of the world's largest penguin species.

Day  31

Lyttelton, New Zealand

Upon disembarking in Lyttelton, New Zealand, we will transfer the group by motor coach from the dock to Christchurch airport.